Wednesday, November 1, 2017

"We will persevere, with the consensus of our people and the patriotic commitment of the youngest"

United Nations, Nov 1. – Once again, for the 26th time before the United Nations, heard was Cuba's demand for the elimination of the U.S. economic, commercial, financial blockade, supported by 191 of the world's nations.

Before the General Assembly, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla stated that the policy, which has been imposed for over 50 years by Washington, constitutes a flagrant, massive, and systematic violation of the human rights of Cubans.

He insisted that it ignores international law and represents an act of genocide, intended to economically strangle the Cuban people and force their surrender with hunger and desperation.

"The human damage produced by the implementation of this policy is incalculable. No Cuban family or social service has escaped suffering the deprivation and consequences of the blockade. The Cuban émigré community also suffers discrimination and prejudice," he said.

Rodriguez emphasized that the blockade is the greatest obstacle to Cuba's economic and social development, and to the implementation of the country's National Plan, in line with the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development goals, creating obstacles to economic relations with the United States and the rest of the world.

He presented concrete examples of the impact of the blockade and noted that the country has faced damage valued at more than four billion dollars, during this last year alone.

He concluded saying, "We will persevere, with the consensus of our people and the patriotic commitment of the youngest, in the anti-imperialist struggle and in defense of our independence, for which tens of thousands of Cubans have fallen and faced the greatest dangers, as we demonstrated in Girón and in the face of all the threats." (PL)